Current methods for transmitting data over optical fibers employs an on/off signaling system using regular light to transmit binary code. The light transmitted is generally one wavelength (color) and detected by sensors on the receiving end adapted to receive the wavelength of light.
The wavelength of light used is a standard chosen by the IEEE. For example, fiber communication uses predominantly white light. The color of light used is a choice based on the sensor used to detect the light and its capabilities, meaning the wavelength of light the sensor is adapted to detect. Sensors currently used in fiber communications detect one wavelength of light only.
The only use of colors in connection with data transfer involves separating channels for sending data. For instance, wavelength division multiplexing or “WDM” is the use of multiple optical channels and the combination of them in one fiber. Multiplexing does not increase the throughput of a single channel (meaning a channel for transmitting a particular data file, for instance), but rather allows for multiple channels to travel over a single fiber, thereby allowing for cheaper running costs over large distance. While WDM allows multiple data files to be sent simultaneously (each file being assigned a color), multiplexing does not affect speed of each data file's transfer itself.
Furthermore, multiplexing still makes use of the binary on/off flashing for transmitting data. The only difference is that binary code is transmitted at a given color, depending on the channel. For instance, Data A is green and Data B is red. One limitation of the binary system for the transmission of data is that there is a physical limitation to the transfer speed. For example, because binary is a series of bits represented as zeroes and ones, effective transfer speed requires billions of 0/1 bits per second. It is not possible to get such throughput in current technology. Improvements in the area of data transmission focus on increasing throughput as opposed to improving the efficiency of binary itself. There are currently no viable alternatives to binary transfer, and as a result, binary is ubiquitously employed
The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. To the extent that work of the inventor hereof is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the invention that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, they are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.